Neighbors Play Down
North Korean Moves

SEOUL -- As worries mount in Washington that North Korea could be moving toward its first nuclear-weapons test, Pyongyang's neighbors remain skeptical, saying the country may just be trying to strengthen its hand for future negotiations.

China and South Korea, Pyongyang's two most important economic benefactors, also remain reluctant to consider sanctions against the North, U.S. and Asian officials say, and it isn't clear whether even an atomic test would persuade them to change their policies sharply.